True crime dramas have been bona fide hits in recent years
with entire networks dedicated to the genre such as Investigation Discovery and
Oxygen and Ryan Murphy’s anthology series American
Crime Story: The People vs O.J. Simpson. Even NBC flagship series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
has been ripping stories from the headlines for years. Chicago and Law & Order
creator Dick Wolf has added another chapter into his franchise: True Crime, starting off with the
infamous Menendez murders of 1989.
José and Kitty Menendez were found dead by their two sons
Lyle and Erik on August 23 1989. The boys, 21 and 18, respectively, had been
out at the movies all night when they returned home and Lyle phoned police
shouting ‘someone killed my parents!’. The two were taken to the police station
and questioned, as they were considered suspects but there was no evidence
against them at the time and they were let go without having gunshot residue
tests taken as the officers with them said they were distressed.
Lyle, the oldest,
seems unaffected by what occurred and starts to buy new suits, watches and
other expensive trinkets for the two of them to wear to their parents funeral
service. Erik, however is clearly still shaken by what’s happened and when he
returns to their newly decorated home, he has a panic attack by the guilt of
what he and his brother have done.
Edie Falco in NBC's Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Detectives continue to investigate when friends come out of
the woodwork to talk about the boys history. Erik had written a screenplay with
a friend years prior about a young man killing his parents to gain their
inheritance. There is no conclusive evidence yet but suspicions of the boys’
involvement continue to grow. Criminal defense attorney Leslie Abramson has
just finished a case defending a young man of murder accusations and she takes
an interest in the Menendez’s murders, drawing up her own suspicions as the
stories develop.
Emmy award-winner Edie Falco plays Abramson, who knows
immediately that it was the two brothers that killed José and Kitty because of
how many times and how brutally the two were shot. The Menendez brothers Lyle
and Erik are played by Miles Gaston Villanueva and Gus Halper, respectively.
Villanueva’s stoic and rather cold portrayal of Erik immediately leaves you
thinking that he was the mastermind behind everything. Halper gives a heart-wrenching
performance as the grieving and guilt-ridden younger brother.
This new series has the makings of the preceding Law & Order franchise installments:
great writing, solid performances, a compelling crime story and the famous
‘doink-doink’ during transitions, yet it doesn’t feel like a Law & Order show. Dick Wolf’s
decades long legacy focuses on one set of characters, usually the detectives
that are investigating the cases and how their personal lives are intertwined
with their work. Law & Order:
Criminal Intent took a different view on each case, seeing it from the
perpetrator’s point of view.
This new installment into the franchise
veers away from the formula, relying heavily on flashbacks and delving into each set of characters: the
perps/victims, the attorneys and the detectives, getting a fuller, grounded
story. Whether its like it’s predecessors or not, True Crime keeps the audience intrigued and wanting the next
episode to arrive sooner rather than later.
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders airs Tuesdays at 10pm on NBC
Did you watch the premiere of The Menendez Murders? What did you think? Let's talk! Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Did you watch the premiere of The Menendez Murders? What did you think? Let's talk! Leave your thoughts in the comments below!